Police Say Missing Wisconsin Kayaker Faked Death And Possibly Fled Overseas

Investigators say Ryan Borgwardt took out $375,000 life insurance and was in contact with woman in Uzbekistan

For several weeks, the family of avid kayaker Ryan Borgwardt braced for the likelihood that search divers were about to find his body in a Wisconsin lake. His kayak, fishing rod, wallet and car keys were found at Green Lake on 12 August, the day he disappeared, and a lifejacket floating on the water offered further evidence that his wife and three children had lost their husband and father.

An investigation, however, has determined that Borgwardt took out a $375,000 life insurance policy, faked his own death and simply vanished, possibly to central Asia to join a woman with whom he had been communicating online.